The Issue: Colombia Free Trade
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THE ISSUE The proposed Colombia deal is a continuation economic polices that have continued to push for access to the American market without assessing the costs to U.S. workers or industries. Since 2000, these trade deals have resulted in 3 million jobs being lost and seen U.S. production increasingly off-shored to third-world labor markets like China that ignore basic human rights and workers earn next to nothing in wages. At home, American workers who lost their high-paying, high-benefit manufacturing jobs find work in low-paying, lower-benefit service jobs. The result is an American middle class earning and producing less- and the country’s balance of trade deficit topping $700 billion. EIC POSITION“We oppose the proposed free trade deal with Colombia- it is a continuation of questionable and harmful trade stances that have decimated the American middle class. The affirmation of this deal would hastily entrench a long-term trade agreement. In the wake of mounting job losses, stagnating middle class wages, and increased off-shoring due to similar trade policies, common sense tells us that this agreement will be counterproductive to American workers and industries.” WHAT THEY ARE SAYING “The Colombia FTA represents a continuation of the Bush administration’s failed trade policies, an agenda that has contributed to the loss of over 3 million manufacturing jobs since 2000, skyrocketing trade deficits and paychecks that are shrinking at an accelerating rate. WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
REFERENCESFactory Jobs: 3 Million Lost Since 2000 Job Losses Due to Trade Since NAFTA Deepen Job Shift: Service Jobs Replacing Manufacturing |
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